PLANS to convert part of a historic Ashton-under-Lyne shopping arcade into three houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have been refused.
And Tameside Council believes the scheme for Clarence Arcade could be considered as for one, 16-bedroomed facility that could accommodate 32 people.
Manchester-based JJRH Commercial Ltd applied to convert the vacant office space into seven-bed, six-bed and three-bed HMOs.
But those have been turned down over concerns it would leave occupants feeling ‘institutionalised,’ the facilities are not good enough and the impact would alter the community.
In a report, planning officers state: “Each of the HMOs would share the same entrance and exit doors to and from the building.
“The proposal might then not unreasonably be considered as being for a single sixteen-bedroom HMO, albeit including three shared kitchens/dining/sitting rooms, rather than as three discrete HMOs.
“The conversion would represent an overdevelopment and occupation of the property.
“The communal space by virtue of the proposed internal arrangement and complete lack of external amenity space is considered inadequate to cater for the needs of the occupants whilst promoting social interaction.
“Consequently, the accommodation proposed fails to meet the needs of potential occupiers creating an institutionalised environment with an overall poor standard of amenity, the poor standard of accommodation could also fundamentally detract from the character of the town centre and conservation area and the amenities these offer.
“The proposal would not improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area nor does it comply with the development plan and therefore does not comprise sustainable development.
“There were no amendments to the scheme, or conditions which could reasonably have been imposed, which could have made the development acceptable and it was therefore not possible to approve the application.”
Clarence Arcade, on Stamford Street, was constructed in 1894 and is the only covered Victorian arcade in Tameside.
28 objections were received to the proposal and concerns over refuse and disturbance to other people living in the area were also cited in the rejection.
The report adds: “In respect of the licencing regime and the council’s Landlords Guide to Houses in Multiple Occupation guidance, the bedroom sizes are such that each might be occupied by two people.
“The interference then being that the proposal might result in 32 people residing in three HMOs all in the same building.
“With multiple tenants living in close quarters, the likelihood of frequent disturbances increases. These can range from loud music and parties to general everyday noise, such as footsteps, conversations, and household activities.
“Such disturbances can significantly alter the character of an area and the amenities from which it benefits.
“Additionally, the transient nature of HMO tenants can lead to less accountability and higher incidences of anti-social behaviour.
“The greater the number and concentration of HMOs and HMO tenants, in such close proximity will then exacerbate these issues. Communities become unbalanced because the number of short-term tenants with less-established community ties.
“The proposals included for the storage of refuse bins, as is confirmed by the Environmental Services Manager, are inadequate in terms of size to cater for the development as a whole.
“In these circumstances it is probable refuse bins and bags would be deposited and stored in the public highway ahead of collection.
“Such an arrangement would be detrimental to the locality, not only visually but also environmentally, and compound existing issues being experienced in the vicinity.”